Real Grade 1/144 - MS-06F Zaku II - WiP - The weapons

Originally i painted the zakus weapons the same colour as the plastic sprues and paint guide, black and grey. Once assembled i didn't really like the way the grey and black contrasted together and thinking about real world weaponry they tend to be all the same colour but i do like how these RG weapons have different shades so i kept the black and added another shade of black to separate up the pieces.

All the parts of the weapons on the black sprues ive kept black painted with Vallejo Air Black and the parts that are meant to be grey are 50/50 black and metallic black, tried out just metallic black first but thought it looked too silver.



Still glossed at the moment, will give them a matte coat when other parts are ready.



New hands are great, find the movable fingers a cool feature but ive had trouble trying to hold the weapons on the Gundam.
Ian

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-06F Zaku II - WiP - Shades of Green

4 different greens needed to paint to paint up all the panels.  Took me some time to get all the parts ready and then paint.
Ive never had to remove the sprues, sand, prime and paint so many individual parts before, took quite some time.
Hoping the i choose and mixed the correct colours, will have to wait and see how they mash once the zakus assembled.

Vallejo Air colours i used.
Torso, sprue A - 22 Camouflage Green.
Panels on torso, sprue A - 60% 93 Field Green, 40% 06 Camo Light Green.
Arms, Legs, Head, sprue F, G1+2 - 95 Pale Green
Arms, Legs, Head, sprue C - 50% 95 Pale Green, 50% 09 Duck Egg Green.

Mixed up enough for maybe another 2 green zakus for future builds if i like the way this one turns out.
Ian

Real Grade - RGM-79 GM conversion - Head / Monitor WIP - 3

Except for a little tidying up of scratches and then adding panel line i think this GM head is complete.

Cut off the mohawk of the RX-78 and has taken quite some time to get it fitted correctly, not glued yet, think it will be easier to add that at the last moment when im completely satisfied with what ive got.

The vulcan cannon also which was super delicate, those little blighter are small and of course i dropped them a few times, the horror trying to find those again.

Took me quite some time trying to get the holes aligned correctly, also drilled out the barrel, which suddenly made them look better.



Except for the shin guards, i think that's nearly all the conversion is complete.
Ian

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-06F Zaku II - Inner Frame

The amazing RG inner frame, increadible at this scale! Thought start the first Real Grade Zaku with the green F type, which i prefer over Chars slighty pink zak?

Instead of following the instructions, i went ahead and built and painted the inner frame and working first. All the ABS joints are Vallerjo Air Metallic Black and everything else that attaches to in in Dark Sea Grey.

Added a little detail to the cockpit with some straps on the chair and decals on the inside for electronics, Mono-eye is Tamiya Clear Red but think it might be too like, even though i prefer the mono red it seams the pink stands out more.



Was at first a big fan of the metallic sticker but after only a few days after being applied they have already start to chip, scratch and not look to good.



Painted the Hydraulic Pistons yellow and silver like a JCB, instead of the usual brass, sliver. Have a construction yard near my workplace and looking at all the work machinery noticed that none of the hydraulics are nice clean brass but are painted and when you look at other machinery are also paint instead of bare metal.

I also imagine all the machinery combining into Devastator? "Preare for annilation!"



Hoping i will have all the green painted by the end of next week, then all decaled by the end of the week after that. Ian

Usagi Drop

Charming is about the best word i can come up to with to describe this sweet anime series, which i finished last night.

Usagi Drop is way off field for the usual anime i watch or practically all anime i watch, no mecha, no sci-fi, no action just a lovey slice of life story. if you want some short, sweet and genereally nice with a whole load of morality tales thrown in than this could be it.

Only 11 episodes, very short for an anime, so i hope that another season will be produced in the future.

Even like the girlie intro song which i downloaded to my phone, now share the same playlist as Iron Maiden  and The Clash.

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-06 Zaku II - 2 and 2

Got a plan for all 4 of these little beauty's, wanted to grab some since Chars custom Zaku was released but waited for the greenie came along and have a small platoon of zaks. Going to start of with the classic green MS-06F, first MS that appeared in Gundam!

Now that i got all 4 of these kits i reckon i should have only bought 1 S type, thinking about what i want to build the best model would be the F type.

Ian

Revell 1/144 - E-2C Hawkeye - WiP 1 -

  
A 1/144 modellers favorite from Revell.

Bought this excellent little kit from Revell just after Christmas and recently built it easily. One of those model kit where everything fits correctly and caused me no problem, which is a rarity and a pleasure.

And to keep it easy, i kept this a straight build, no adjusting the flaps, having the wings folded or new 8 prop propellers, keeping the 4 prop for a 80's version or maybe 70,s, to go next to some F-14s. Have got a bunch of aftermarket bits to convert the model but decided against it.

Might be some time before i paint this, thinking about getting a new airbrush first.
Ian

Gundam 0083- HGUC 1/144 - RGM-79C GM Type C - Completed

Completed this very nice HGUC kit last week and im very happy with it. Wil probable be a long time before a build a MS from Gundam outside of the One Year War, unless i get tempted by the Jesta.

What i went for with this is a Type C at the end of 0079, remember reading about the Type C being fielded right at the end of the OYW and that it lacked the antenna (Sentinel 0079?) which i really didn't like anyway and why i added a shield with the Earth Federation star. Not really a fan of antenna's on amazing pieces of future technology, you can make a giant mobile suit that moves faster than a human yet go can't make a decent radio?

Livery is meant to be some sort of real type low-viz scheme, did try out all grey at first but did not look right, in Gundam a coloured chest seams to be a visual rule.



Found a nice decal for the right shoulder, seams to be a swan in front of a planet as some sort of nose art.
And check out the fisted manipulators, a new standard from Bandai, nice one!



Beam saber came from the 30th anniversary HG Gundam, which of course when i completed this i found the lost one, think this one look better myself though.



Always like this parade ground / airshow type display, even added the little pilot i recently made.



This was about the most action pose i went with, kinda worried about ruining the paint at the joints.



Was mean to enter this into the Europe Gunpla Cup over at MAC forum but just couldn't figure out how to add the label which had to be added without a photo shop, next time, really enjoyed this build anyhow.

Ian